


Choices

by TNue



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: AU, Baby!Hyejoo, F/F, Minor Original Character(s), Mom!Sooyoung
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNue/pseuds/TNue
Summary: Let´s follow how a baby arrival changes a woman´s life.  After adopting Hyejoo, Sooyoung struggles with being a new mom and her dealing with her work.  She gets a lot of help from her closest friends and family, and of course, Jiwoo is always there for her.





	1. Chapter 1

Sooyoung woke up, startled by the sharp sound coming from the electronic device on her nightstand. She felt her sore body complaining for the lack of sleep and yawned. Getting up, she saw through the baby monitor her girl crying in her crib and sighed, going to the room next door to take care of the crying infant.

She was so tired, but seeing her daughter put a smile on her face. Sooyoung held the baby in her arms and kissed ever-so-gently her forehead, cradling her tiny body in her long arms. 

“What's wrong, my sweet girl?” She whispered, the baby's cries always broke her heart, even knowing it was her only form of communication. She was still getting to know her desires and quirks, and to differentiate her cries. This, for example, was a dirty diaper cry, so she walked through the room and laid the girl on the changing table.

During the first weeks, Sooyoung felt a little overwhelmed by the baby's schedule. Changing diapers, bathing, feeding, playing and taking her to the pediatrician took a lot from her. She didn't regret her decisions, her baby girl was the most precious thing in her life and she completely adored her.

“So, mommy will change this awful diaper and you can go back to sleep,” she said, glad the baby wasn't fussy anymore. “You need to recover your energies so mommy can take you to the park and see the cherry trees, what do you think? Do you want to go out with mommy?”  
When she first got home from the hospital, she felt a little silly for having full conversations with a newborn, but now she was used it. It's not like the baby could understand her. Their pediatrician, Dr. Jeon encouraged her to talk to her daughter, so she would recognize her voice. And since she lived by herself, having someone to talk, even a tiny baby, was very helpful.

“So, mommy will take you to see the cherry trees with Aunt Haseul and Aunt Vivi. Do you miss them? They sure miss you,” she kept saying, already putting some ointment on her baby to avoid rashes and putting a new diaper. The girl gave her a tiny smile and Sooyoung's heart was filled with pure love.

“My precious Hyejoo…” she said, playfully kissing the baby's feet before dressing her.

*******

It was the first time Sooyoung and Hyejoo would be out of the house to have fun, instead of going to the scheduled doctor appointments. Sooyoung was very careful in taking care of her daughter's health, since she was still so young and she didn't want to risk anything. 

But she missed being out with her friends, do some people watching, walk by the Han River and working. She really missed going to work every day, but having someone depending on her all the time, made her put everything else on hold. She wasn't complaining though, it was crazy what she did, but she was just so happy. Tired, but really happy. 

Sooyoung was still adapting to her life as a new mother and she was glad she had great friends to help her. Haseul was taking care of their company while she was on maternity leave, along with Jinsoul, who was covering her classes and Vivi offered to do her house chores since Sooyoung barely had time to shower. Jiwoo wanted to help too, but her own schedule was so chaotic now, with rehearsals for her next comeback, TV show appearances and attending music awards. Of course Sooyoung didn't mind, but she missed her best friend a lot. Oh God, she really missed her...

Her friends were really precious to her and they truly helped this new stage of her life. Since her family lived in Busan, in the other side of the country, her friends were there for her and Hyejoo since they came back from the hospital. And they were so supportive of her decision, even being an insane one. But Sooyoung knew she did the right thing by adopting Hyejoo. It was a real challenge taking care of a newborn, but she was really up for it.

Taking the baby monitor with her to the bathroom, Sooyoung took a quick shower. She was set to meet her friends in a cafe by the river, since it was within walking distance from her apartment. It was a beautiful Saturday morning: the sun was shining, the sky was so blue and she was in a very good mood. It was the fact she was finally getting out to have some fun and most importantly, she would show to her baby one of her favorite spots in Seoul. 

Since she moved to the city, almost 10 years ago, she always loved to take walks by the river. Being next to the water always calmed her and helped her think. It was in one of her walks by the river that she had decided to adopt Hyejoo when she was still in the womb, so that place had an important value for her.

She dressed Hyejoo in an adorable blue and white onesie with little fishes all over it, a gift from Aunty Jinsoul, checked her bag for bottles, diapers, blankets and anything Hyejoo might need during their outing. She put the baby on her stroller and went to get ready. Sooyoung wore a blue denim pants, a simple white shirt with comfortable canvas shoes. She quickly combed her long black hair and she was done, ready to take her baby out and have some fun with her friends.

****  
Sooyoung was happily pushing Hyejoo’s stroller by the river, distracted with the happy baby noises she was hearing coming from the stroller. Apparently, Hyejoo was excited too by being out and seeing the blossoming trees.

“Are you glad you are out with mommy? Mommy is happy too, baby girl,” she said, smiling at the baby. How such a tiny creature could bring her so much joy, it was beyond her understanding. “Or are you happy you will be seeing your aunties?” Sooyoung asked, getting a toothless almost smile back. The good weather was affecting the baby too.

“SOOYOUNG!” she heard her name being called and looked at the direction of her voice. She smiled when she saw Haseul and Vivi coming in her direction, holding hands and with big smiles on her faces. The two women engulfed the taller one in a big hug, they missed Sooyoung a lot, but they understood she was busy being a mom.

“It's been too long since we last saw each other, we can't let that happen,” Haseul said, talking Hyejoo's bag from Sooyoung. Vivi looked at the baby and smiled at her. She was still the same shy girl Sooyoung had met years ago, during a model shooting in Hong Kong. The Chinese model had moved to Korea a few months later, after she was hired to be the face of a clothing brand. She had fallen in love with Korea and moved definitely to Seoul. 

“She got so big since the last time I saw her,” Vivi said, her calm voice was always soothing. 

“You can hold her, she missed you too,” Sooyoung smiled at her friend. They saw each other a few days prior but Vivi was right, Hyejoo was growing up really fast. 

Vivi smiled and took the baby from the stroller, carefully supporting her head and her smile got even bigger. Sooyoung was sure her daughter had all of her friends wrapped in her finger. It was almost funny to see the power her baby had over grown women. Every single of her friends were completely in love with the baby.

Hyejoo smiled at her auntie and made an effort to extend her delicate hand to catch some of Vivi's red hair. She had changed her color recently but the baby's eyes weren´t developed yet, keeping her from noticing Vivi´s new deep red hair color. Being one month old, Hyejoo could focus about eight to 12 inches from her face, and she see only black, white and gray.

Vivi started singing a Chinese lullaby to Hyejoo, totally caught in the moment. She had fallen in love with the baby as soon as Sooyoung brought her home and she was the first of their friends to support her decision of adopting her. She kissed the baby's head, taking in her adorable smell. 

Vivi tried to stop by Sooyoung's place at least once a week to do some cleaning, laundry and cooking, since the new mom was too tired or way too busy to do it herself. She and her girlfriend were the mothers’ figures to their little group and Hyejoo's arrival enhanced even more their maternal instincts.

“Where’s Jinsoul?” Sooyoung asked. She missed her blonde friend and she wanted to show how adorable Hyejoo looked wearing her present.

“Oh, she said she had a class to teach at the academy and she will meet us later for lunch, with Jungeun,” Haseul filled her in, looking at her girlfriend holding the baby with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Sooyoung caught her doing that and smiled. They were so adorable together and made her heart hurt a little. She was happy her friends had found each other, and they were together for so long. She wanted that too, wanted someone to be there for her, like Vivi was for Haseul and Jungeun was for Jinsoul. 

But she made a choice, and she needed to stick to that…

“And Jiwoo? Have you heard of her?” Haseul asked, realizing Sooyoung was getting lost inside her own head. The taller girl gave her friend a sad smile, shaking her head negatively. It had been days since she last spoken to Jiwoo, she was probably too busy with work. It wasn't something new, an idol's life was really busy and she understood that. But she couldn't help but miss her. She had sent her a message, informing Jiwoo of their plans, but she wasn't hopeful about meeting her, since she didn't get an answer.

“So, please tell me how's work?”

Haseul was her business partner. They had met during their freshman year in college. Sooyoung was already an accomplished dancer, with some international experience and was on college to fulfill her mother's wishes of getting a plan B, just in case her dancing and part time modeling didn't work out. 

They started working together because Haseul was very good dealing with people and closing deals. In no time, she was working as Sooyoung's agent. A couple years later, after Sooyoung came back from a tour in the US, they decided to open a dance academy, with a touring crew and classes. 

“Everything is going great, Jiwoo really helped us closing a deal with her agency,” Haseul started and she didn't miss how shiny Sooyoung's eyes were just hearing her best friend's name. “We will be teaching their trainees and we will provide a dancing crew for their local performances,” she concluded. She didn't want to stress Sooyoung with work related stuff, but she knew it was a good distraction for her friend. Since Hyejoo had come into her life, Sooyoung was fully dedicated to her daughter, stepping down 100% from the company that she so loved. But now she had other priorities. A 9 pound, 21 inches tall priority.

"Since Jungeun would be involved in this project, Jinsoul offered to teach the trainees with her." Haseul was excited about the new project and she knew Sooyoung would be happy they were able to grab a big contract while she was away. And it was true, she was happy the company was thriving without her there. The short haired girl looked at her friend and smiled “I don´t think we should worry about this, Jinsoul can be a goof-ball who thinks she's adorably cute, and she's head over heels for Jungeun, so maybe having them working together can be a good thing…” 

Sooyoung took a deep breath and looked at the blossoming tree around them. She felt guilty about Jinsoul and Jungeun. They had just got together when Sooyoung had to step down from the company to follow closely Hyejoo's birth and deal with everything about her adoption, 5 weeks ago. With that, Jinsoul had to take her place in the dancing crew and teach all her classes. Haseul offered a good amount of money to cover that extra work and Jinsoul loved the company and helping her friends, but since Sooyoung was scheduled to tour through East Asia with their crew for two weeks, it didn't helped her brand new relationship with Jungeun, a choreographer who worked in Jiwoo's agency and her childhood friend.

“Honestly, I know she will be amazing l-- I'm really glad there´s this possibility of them working together, Jungeun is really good at her job. It's just…”

She sighed again and Haseul hugged her.

“You know we've been through this, right? Everything is fine, we understand you had to do what you had to do and it's okay.” Haseul kissed Sooyoung's forehead and smiled. “We love you Sooyoung, so we will do anything in our power to help you.”

Sooyoung felt so blessed in that moment. She had amazing friends and a beautiful baby daughter. She couldn't be happier. Vivi got close to them; Hyejoo was still mesmerized by her and was firmly holding a lock of bright red hair in her right fist. 

“What's wrong?” She asked quietly.

“Nothing, I'm just too happy to have you girls in my life.”

*******  
After walking by the river, enjoying the sights of the blossoming trees and taking a lot of pictures, the three girls were waiting for Jinsoul at the restaurant. Haseul was looking at the selfies they took with the baby and Vivi was helping her choose a good one to put on her Instagram account. The Chinese girl always had a good eye for photography, not as good as Jinsoul's who used to take photos as a hobby, but it was still pretty good. And since they had a small celebrity status, with Vivi's modeling career and Sooyoung's dancing, they had to be a little careful when posting anything online. 

And they always wanted to protect their privacy, especially with Hyejoo in their lives. Sooyoung thought it was a little too earlier for posting her daughter's pictures online and they were still discussing with their PR about making an announcement about her. The public knew she had stepped down to take care of some personal projects, and Sooyoung knew she would have to reveal soon about her baby, but that could lead to a lot of questions she didn’t want to answer. At least not now.

Vivi choose a picture where she was smiling at the camera and Haseul was adorably kissing her cheek. Her girlfriend looked so cute, she couldn't resist. Sooyoung smiled at the couple, sipping her water, when she noticed Hyejoo fussing a little in the stroller. She took the baby in her arms, and checked her diaper. Clean. So she was probably feeling hungry. 

“Can you two stop being adorable for one second and pass me my bag?” She said, laying Hyejoo comfortably in her arms. Haseul looked at her faking annoyance, and passed her the bag she asked. 

“I can't help it, when you have a girlfriend so lovely and sweet like mine, it's mandatory to act like this,” the short haired girl said, getting a side look from her better half. Even after all these years, Haseul acted like they just got together. Not that she was much better.

Dismissing the sickly adorable couple, Sooyoung took one of Hyejoo's bottles and started to feed the baby with it. She had to thank Jiwoo for the baby bag with a bottle warmer, with cartoon penguins all over it. The idol was always giving her really useful presents and she was so thankful for it. 

“Are you hungry, baby girl? Mommy is hungry too, but we're waiting for your aunt Jinsoul so we can eat. But you don't have to wait for her. No, you don't…” she said, looking into her baby's dark eyes. 

Haseul and Vivi stopped looking at their photos and started paying attention to their friend interacting with her daughter. Discreetly, Haseul took a picture of the two Ha girls.

“I told you she would look good in blue, didn't I?” A tall, blonde girl, dressed with a denim short skirt and a flowing black shirt asked, appearing next to their table out of nowhere. Sooyoung, Vivi and Haseul looked at her and all three of them smiled, seeing Jinsoul had arrived. Sooyoung smiled, she missed her friend, and her cocky attitude. She sat next to mother and daughter and kissed Sooyoung's shoulder, looking at the baby. She didn't want to distract her feeding time.

“She looks so cute in this onesie, I should get her more,” she said, her voice was low, just a little above a whisper. 

“Are you trying to turn my kid into a cartoon character that always dresses with the same outfit?” Sooyoung joked, turning her head to kiss Jinsoul's cheek. She would often feel guilty for a little while, but she also knew Jinsoul wouldn't have accepted the challenge she threw at her if she wasn't capable of taking it. 

Jinsoul laughed quietly, and shrugged. She finally had some time off and was glad to spend with her girls.

“It would be really easy, you wouldn't have to choose how to dress her, am I right?” 

“It's not a bad idea… but this girl has so many cute clothes, her wardrobe is packed until she leaves for college,” Sooyoung said, turning her attention back to Hyejoo, who was hungrily eating. “Your aunties like to spoil you, don't they? And you have all of them wrapped in your pinkie, right?” She cooed to the baby.

They were in silence while mother fed her daughter, just mesmerized by such a small act. Pretty much anything that Hyejoo did was amazing and Sooyoung was indeed right, they were all wrapped in her pinkie. 

“Must be interesting to have conversations with a one month old,” Haseul said, after calling the waiter so they could order lunch. Sooyoung made sure Hyejoo burped and put her back in the stroller so she could sleep. 

“Dr. Jeon said it's important for her development to talk to her. And we can bond better during feeding time, she always look at me like she knows who I am.” Sooyoung said, getting into full mama mode. “It's just so incredible, you know? The first time she looked at me, she was two days old and even knowing she had no idea who I was, I swear, she was looking right at my soul..” she finished, her hand looked so big on her daughter's tummy. Jinsoul rested her chin on her shoulder, also looking at the baby. “I won't lie, it's really hard to take care of her, I can't remember when it was the last time I slept through the night, but everything she does is fantastic.”

“Even when she poops a lot?” Jinsoul jokingly asked her, smiling at the baby.

“Especially when she poops a lot. I can get her on her tub, give her a bath and she really likes the water, she stays so calm during bathing time, just enjoying the warm water.”

Jinsoul was amazed by her friend. She never though she would ever see Sooyoung as a mother, she never thought she was the type. But seeing her with Hyejoo taught her a lesson. Sooyoung was still the same highly focused woman she knew years ago, but now, her focus was currently falling asleep inside her stroller, wearing a white and blue onesie with fishes.

*********  
After lunch, the friends spent the afternoon catching up, and enjoying the fact Sooyoung was finally out with them. Hyejoo was quietly sleeping, and they didn't want to bother her, so they stayed at the restaurant, having a few drinks and talking. 

They talked about everything. Vivi was scheduled to do some work back in Hong Kong, so she would leave for a couple weeks. Which left Haseul a little sad. Since they had gotten together, they had never spent more than a few days apart. The red haired girl was glad she would be back to her hometown, and was planning to visit her parents and enjoy some quality family time together, but she was sad about leaving her girlfriend for longer periods. They were this close to move in together, maybe she would even use this trip to gather some courage and ask Haseul. Luckily, she would be going home and talk to her mother about it. Mothers always knew the best.

“Don't worry about our birdie girl here, Vivi-unnie, she is totally welcome to stay with me when you're gone.” Jinsoul always called Vivi unnie when she was planning something mischievous. “Jungeun said she would stop by so we can do some planning for our project, so slumber party time!”

“Wait, Jungeun will be there too? I'm not going to third wheel anything if she's going to your house,” Haseul said, finishing her drink with an appointed look.

“JO HASEUL!” Jinsoul almost screamed, blushing furiously. “It's… it's not like that, she will be there so we can discuss about the project, nothing else!” The blonde girl hid her face on Sooyoung's shoulder and Vivi just smiled. Sooyoung shot her daughter a look, seeing she was still sleeping. “We... that didn't happen yet, everything is still pretty new about us, so we're taking our time…” 

“Oh, this is truly adorable, you know?” Sooyoung said, reaching for her water. She paid close attention to this conversation, especially because the guilt she felt was trembling in her heart.

“I…” Jinsoul started, smiling to herself. “Girls, I never felt like this before… Jungeun is just amazing, you know? She's beautiful inside out, she makes me feel smart and capable, she has a weird laugh that I find really adorable and she's so good at her job.. Everything she does impresses me.” She raised her gaze and looked at her friends. “I have been out of the country for most of our time together, so we're taking baby steps.”

Sooyoung sighed, she knew Jinsoul was fine with what happened, but she just couldn't help… 

“Soulie, you’ve known her for a long time now… Remember when Jiwoo first brought her to the studio? You were so mesmerized by her you couldn't say two words at all.” She laughed at the memory. “You have the advantage to date a close friend and that's so rare these days… Now that you are finally together, there's no need to rush anything. Take your time, do what you're comfortable doing. Just promise me you will be happy, ok?” Sooyoung finished and Jinsoul hugged her tight. 

The table remained silent while they hugged, and Vivi and Haseul smiled to each other, they knew how Sooyoung felt about Jinsoul and Jungeun dating, and their rocky start. 

“Well, don't look now, but there's someone sad outside the window…” Vivi pointed out, gathering her friends’ attention. Why she couldn't have normal friends like anyone else?

They choose to sit in the back, so they could enjoy some deserved privacy, but there was a big window by their table, so they could eat and enjoy the sights. In that window, a girl was smudging her face against it, with a sad expression. Her burgundy hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her bangs were adorably framing her cute face. A brunette girl was standing next to her, looking at the girl like she already gave up trying to take her off the window. 

“Jiwoo…” Sooyoung whispered, not really believing her eyes. She felt her heart starting to beat so fast just for seeing the other girl and if she wasn't seated, she would have fallen down, since her knees had become pure jelly. Why did that girl still have that effect on her? They were friends, best friends nevertheless, but she couldn't just erase what she felt… and that was the worst part.

“Jungeun is here!” Jinsoul jumped and went to meet her girlfriend. They had seen each other a few hours ago, but it was like seeing her for the first time in centuries. Jiwoo took her face from the window and smiled at her friends inside, waving at them. She was genuinely happy to see them after so long. 

In no time, Jinsoul had led them inside to their table, walking hand in hand with Jungeun and Jiwoo close behind them. Some people in the restaurant looked at her and smiled and waved, and she waved back, shyly. They got to the back and she drew Haseul and Vivi in one big hug, at least as big as she could manage. The couple smile at their friend, not really understanding how and why she was there. 

“Sooyoungie!!!!!” The smaller girl launched herself on Sooyoung's arms and hugged her tight. She had missed her so much. “Promise me we won't stay this long without seeing each other, please!” She asked, before moving to check the stroller, seeing a very awake Hyejoo inside. 

Sooyoung smirked amused, Jiwoo was always so energetic.

“Oh my goodness, look at her, she's so big!” Jiwoo sat next to the stroller and couldn't take her eyes of the baby. “The last time I saw her she was so tiny and wrinkly and why isn’t she wearing the baby birds’ onesie I gave her?” 

“Jiwoo, you can calm down now, we won't run away,” Vivi said, while Haseul ordered some water for her. Jinsoul and Jungeun were already lost in their own world. Jiwoo looked at Sooyoung, her pleading eyes were irresistible. The taller girl nodded and the idol carefully took the baby out of the stroller, kissing her forehead and gently holding her tiny hand. Hyejoo looked at Jiwoo and fussed a little. Sooyoung cleaned her kid's chin with a cloth and Jiwoo started to talk to the baby.

“Do you remember me? I'm your aunt Jiwoo and I will always be here for you, you know that? I missed a lot this month, but I promise I will make it up to you, I will try to visit you more, I promise I will…”

Haseul looked at the other couple, who were giggling and talking sweet nothings into each other's ears and spoke: 

“Why are you guys here anyway?”

Jungeun rested her hand on Jinsoul's leg and looked at Jiwoo, who was in another dimension with Hyejoo. 

“Well, Jinsoul told me you would be here today and I ended up telling Chuu about it. So she rushed to finish her schedule so she could be here… Her manager wasn't happy, so I told her I would take care of her”.

Sooyoung just looked at the brunette and just said one sentence to her.

“Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone who read this piece, gave kudos and left comments. Hope you all enjoy chapter 2 :)

Sooyoung woke up and saw a pair of black eyes looking back at her. She couldn't help but smile at her daughter, who was wide awake next to her. She had put Hyejoo down for a nap on her bed and probably ended up falling asleep too.

Her smile got even bigger when Hyejoo smiled back at her. As a healthy 8 weeks old, the youngest Ha girl was developing fast. And she amazed her mother with every single gesture. She was still very sleepy, but seeing her adorable, lazy, toothless smile gave Sooyoung all the energy she needed.

“Hey, baby girl, are you watching mommy sleep? You know I should be the one watching you, you know?” The woman got up and stretched, hearing her bones crack a little. Perfect for an old hag like herself, her friends would say. She felt refreshed and went looking for her phone, checking the time on it. She had slept for almost four hours, and it was in the middle of the afternoon. No wonder she was hungry… 

“So, do you want to cook with mommy? I'm thinking about heating up some of that delicious bimbibap your aunt Vivi made.” Sooyoung took the baby in her arms. Hyejoo started cooing a couple of weeks prior and it was one of the most angelical sounds she ever heard. She even face timed her mother so she could listen too. Her mother still wasn’t happy about her youngest daughter having a baby out of wedlock, being a single mother could end all Sooyoung's chances of finding a good husband, but like everyone else, she had fallen in love with Hyejoo.

And her mother still didn't know she didn't want a husband. Or a man at all… 

It's not like she never had the chance to come out or something. But since she moved to Seoul, she never really cared about revealing this part of herself to her parents. She loved them deeply and knew they loved her too and that wouldn't change after telling them about being gay.

Probably.

Her sister knew though, since they were always very close, so it felt more natural to tell her. But Sooyoung was a very private woman and after becoming a small celebrity, she began to love her privacy even more. Especially now that she had Hyejoo to look after. She and Haseul had a meeting with their PR and made an announcement about her maternity leave. Their company wasn't big or traditional, like most of their competition, but they were rising fast due to Haseul's business skills and Sooyoung's great eye for rough talents. And of course, their touring crew was getting really famous; they even had to start two more teams so they could meet the demand.

So, she had to tell the public about her baby. She thought it would be bad for their public image, since they lived in a very conservative society, but they ended up getting a lot of support from their clients and fans. Sooyoung had a pretty active fan base due to her modeling and her career as a dancer and her social profiles were pretty famous. She posted dance covers on her YouTube channel, performances with her crew and backstage of shows and events. Her Instagram was her favorite social media, because she felt closer to her followers there. She posted a lot of pictures, stories and short videos, and it felt more organic than spending hours editing videos (luckily she hired their PR agency, so they took care of that for her). She even had a blog, where she used to write about fashion tendencies, market and anything else she felt relevant to give her opinion. 

It was a good distraction, and she was making some money with being a social bird. But now she didn't have time for that anymore. She still posted sometimes on Instagram, her first official picture with her daughter was there, from their announcement. They went with a natural look, just a touch of makeup, natural light and mother and daughter quietly enjoying each other's company by the window in Hyejoo's bedroom. It was a very beautiful picture taken by Jinsoul. Her blonde friend offered to do it because she was an amateur photographer and she felt up to this job. And Jinsoul was right, the photo was just perfect.

Sooyoung put Hyejoo on her play mat in the middle of the living room, and put the baby monitor next to her, so she could keep an eye on her daughter while she cooked. Well, cooked was a very strong word, she would be heating up some leftovers Vivi made two days ago, when she came to visit them. Sooyoung loved her cooking, but she knew she was getting way too spoiled by her friends. But the dancer knew she wouldn't be able to do this by herself. Since she brought Hyejoo home, her life was completely upside down and everything had changed. And by everything, it was really everything. 

How such a tiny creature could make such havoc in her life, she wouldn't ever figure it out, but she was just so happy. And glad her friends were on board with her in this adventure. 

Once the food was done, Sooyoung left it in the stove so she could eat it later. She heat up some formula and prepared Hyejoo's bottle. And smiled at herself, for doing this in a very natural way. She looked at the monitor every now and then and saw her baby, with her beautiful eyes open and looking at the toys in front of her. Her heart melted every time she looked at her child. She never felt a love like this. Now she understood everything her mother and father had told her over the years, because now she had someone to take care of, to love, to help blossom into a fine young lady. 

It was a very scary thought, being that responsible for a life, but Sooyoung was working hard to be a good mom. And she had an amazing support network to help her with that.

She sat down in the floor and took Hyejoo in her arms. The baby seemed very happy to be next to her mother as Sooyoung started to feed her. 

"Oh, do you like that? ‘Cause mommy made it especially for you. Even used my best cooking skills," she laughed at herself. She felt a little silly when she started to talk to the baby, but it was a good way to connect with her daughter and get her used to the sound of her voice. 

She caressed the baby's soft black hair, and started to sing quietly, just enjoying the moment. She knew Hyejoo liked when she sang, so she was always providing a show to her daughter.

After feeding time, Sooyoung burped Hyejoo and put her down in her play mat again. The young mother left quickly to get her plate and started to eat a lukewarm, yet delicious, bimbibap. Vivi was a great cook and Sooyoung would be so lost without her help. Since her schedule was more flexible than the others, Vivi offered to help her with house chores and cooking, especially in the first weeks. And Sooyoung was ever-so grateful for that. During the period Vivi was back in Hong Kong, Haseul and Jinsoul took her place, and she was thankful for that. But Vivi's cooking had this special flavor. 

Felt like home.

Maybe she was getting more spoiled by her friend than her kid…

******

After eating, Sooyoung turn the TV on and started mindless changing channels, while playing with her daughter. Then, Jiwoo's high tone echoed in her living room. Sooyoung raised her eyes and saw her best friend on TV, it was a commercial for a new cell phone and she was so beautiful, dressed in a red polka dress, with doll shoes and her reddish brown hair hanging loose, with a cute bow on it. Sooyoung sighed, her heart was beating too fast for her own good. Why did Jiwoo still have that power over her? They decided to be just friends, but she was still very much in love with her. 

Life could be so unfair sometimes…Sooyoung turned off the TV and looked at her baby. 

"You know, sometimes mommy wants to live another life," she said, shaking a rattle in front of Hyejoo. "So I could be with the woman I love and we would be so happy. Like your aunties are." She couldn't believe she was jealous of her friends. But she was also angry at herself for not being brave enough. "But then, I wouldn't be your mommy… and being your mommy means the world to me, my precious Hyejoo." She smiled at her daughter and kissed her tummy. 

Just on cue, Hyejoo made a face and Sooyoung thought she may need a new diaper. It was getting late, so she would clean her and give her a bath, but the baby started to cry, a very high pitch, like she was testing her own lung capacity. Sooyoung never heard her crying like that, and she was getting pretty good at identify her cries, but she didn't know this one. 

The woman took the baby in her arms and started to cuddle her, her right hand making circles in the child's back trying to soothing her. She looked at her diaper and it was clean, so Hyejoo couldn't be crying for that. Her last feeding was a couple of hours ago, so maybe she was getting hungry, but that cry wasn't a hunger cry. 

"Oh, my girl, what's wrong?" She asked her, going to the kitchen and heating some formula. "Are you hungry? Mommy will get some food in your belly, there's no need to cry…" she tried to humor her kid, but Hyejoo was inconsolable. With some skills she mastered over the weeks, Sooyoung was able to close the bottle with Hyejoo in her arms. She tried to feed the baby, she latched for a few seconds and ended up rejecting the bottle and barfed what she just ate. 

Cleaning her, Sooyoung put the bottle on the sink and went to the bathroom to give Hyejoo a bath that may calm her. She read a lot about babies and their development stages, so she did everything by the book to sooth her baby. Taking off her clothes while the tub was filling with warm water, she felt her heart getting smaller hearing her baby crying. Hyejoo seemed so upset, her face was getting all red. 

After the bath, Hyejoo kept crying, and Sooyoung started to worry. Especially because she seemed like she was in pain and no matter what she did to calm her, nothing worked. She sang to her, cuddled her, walked around the house, tried to distract her with toys, and tried doing an infant massage she learned a few weeks prior and yet, nothing worked.

After a whole hour of incessant crying, Hyejoo didn't seem like she’d stop any time soon. Sooyoung decided to call her pediatrician, because she didn't know what to do anymore and seeing her baby in such a distress was killing her.

"Dr. Jeon? Please help me!" She cried to the phone, desperate. "Hyejoo just can't stop crying, her face is all red and she's seems to be in a lot of distress… I tried everything, but she just cries harder!"

Dr. Jeon could hear the baby over the phone and smiled to herself. Sooyoung was a very dedicated mother and she always tried to do the best for her kid. The doctor had a one year old herself and she knew how hard it was to deal with a baby. And it was harder for her patient, since she was raising her daughter all by herself. 

"Miss Ha, please take a deep breath and calm down," the doctor instructed the young mother softly. "She's probably colic, and she's in an age that she will have crying episodes. So don't worry, she might be uncomfortable now but it will be over soon," the doctor finished explaining to her.

Sooyoung closed her eyes, feeling her own tears falling down her face. 

"But she never cried like this before…" 

"Don't worry, okay? Motion helps calm babies. Walk around with your baby, keep her close to your chest. The combined warmth and rhythm may lull her to sleep," Dr. Jeon suggested, part of her job of pediatrician was help the parents, specially the new ones. "I will be on call tonight, so feel free to stop by, okay? But I assure you, everything will be fine."

The call ended and Sooyoung went back to rocking her kid, keeping her close enough so Hyejoo could feel her body heat. The baby was still crying so hard. But she was glad their doctor was so helpful and understanding. The young mother was ready to take the baby to the hospital so Dr. Jeon could examine her, but after talking to her on the phone, she was a little calmer. But if she kept crying like that, Sooyoung would take her to see her pediatrician.

Taking a deep breath, like Dr. Jeon recommended, Sooyoung looked at her phone again. She felt the need to call someone… to call _her_. Sooyoung knew she shouldn’t though. She knew it would be a long shot to catch her during her free time, but… She needed to hear her voice, feel her presence if at least through the phone for a second. Heart hammering within her chest and with a crying baby in her arms, Sooyoung grabbed her phone nervously and made the call before her hesitation made her change her mind. 

She had to try though...

"Hello? Sorry to call you, I don't know if you're free or not, but can you come here? I really need you…"

********  
Jiwoo was a very busy woman since her teenage years, when she started training to become an idol. Because of that, she never learned how to drive. Not that she really needed it, her manager always drove her to where she needed to go, or her friends did that for her, when they were available. And she was always happy to get a cab or use public transportation. But since her debut, her agency thought it would be better for her to avoid going on public, for her own safety. 

So, when Sooyoung called her desperately asking her to go to her house, she didn't think twice and got into the first cab she saw passing in front of her building. She sounded so desperate and her voice was raspy, like she was crying. And Jiwoo couldn't handle her best friend crying. The idol felt bad for being sort of absent in Sooyoung´s life lately. She was already working hard for her next comeback, so her daily routine was insanely busy, with dance practice, music recording and filming music videos.

It made her feel bad. Sooyoung was going through one of the biggest changes of her life and Jiwoo couldn't be there for her all the time, she could help her with the baby. And not how she wanted to be with Sooyoung in this journey… As her best friend, of course. 

By car, Sooyoung's apartment was 15 minutes away from her place with good traffic. And she was lucky, the streets were pretty clear. She kept checking her phone, just in case Sooyoung called her again, or sent her a message. She was so nervous, her friend's call was too short and she didn't have her any details about what was happening, which made her even more worried.

Jiwoo felt her stomach all weird and full of somersaulting bats. The car was moving way too slow for her taste and she hated that. 

"Please, sir, can you go a little faster? It's an emergency…" she asked, her voice low and serious. Why had Sooyoung called her? What was going on?

The car _finally_ stopped in front of Sooyoung's building, Jiwoo paid the driver and jumped from the car, almost running inside. The dancer lived in the 5th floor and the elevator wasn't fast enough, Jiwoo was getting so upset she seriously considered taking the stairs. She knocked on her friend’s door a few minutes later and the idol took a deep breath. Sooyoung would need her to be level headed and calm, so she could help her better. 

When Sooyoung opened the door, she looked tired and her eyes were puffy, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was tied in a loose ponytail. Jiwoo could hear the baby crying inside and Sooyoung looked simply defeated. 

"You came…" she breathed out, surprised to see her friend there. 

Jiwoo took off her denim jacket as she entered the apartment and Sooyoung closed the door behind her, still half-stunned. 

"Of course I did, _you_ called, and I’m here," the idol answered smiling, hugging her friend briefly. She wanted to make her friend feel better and she didn't know how. 

Sooyoung didn't know what to do so she just stood there, in the middle of her living room, completely lost. The baby was crying in her bedroom, where her mother had put her so she could go to the bathroom, before Jiwoo got to the apartment. Sooyoung was still silent, looking like she was so far away from there and the idol was very confused.

"Sooyoungie, what's happening? Where's Hyejoo?"

"She… She just can't stop crying, Jiwoo. She just can't stop…" Sooyoung felt like she would start crying again. "I'm a terrible mother, I can't comfort my baby, and I don't know what to do…” she mumbled, her voice failing, getting choked up with tears. Jiwoo didn't even think twice: she hugged her again, holding her close and kissed her forehead. Her heart broke in one thousand pieces seeing her friend so desolated.

"No, you're not a terrible mother, you're just new at this, please don't think you're terrible. Let's not start hating on Sooyoung, ok?" She moved them so they could sit down and Jiwoo touched her friends face ever-so-gently, offering some comfort. Even looking like that, Sooyoung was still so beautiful... “Just talk to me.”

"I called her doctor and she said this happens, she will just start crying for no reason, or she will be colic. She said... I shouldn't worry, but listen to that! My mom can hear that cry all the way from Busan!" Sooyoung spoke, feeling like she would start crying again. That never happened to them, she was always there to comfort Hyejoo and provide her with everything she needed. But now, her hands were tied. The baby was inconsolable, resisting everything she did.

"If her doctor said she's fine, don't worry, she is fine. You're at the beginning of this journey as a mother, there's a lot of stuff that will happen to you two." Jiwoo didn't feel like she could comfort her friend with just her words, but she would try really hard. Sooyoung was so important to her… "You're amazing, Sooyoungie and you know that, right? You're raising a beautiful girl all by yourself and you just need to calm down, ‘cause you got this." The smaller girl was smiling, trying to give to her friend all the strength she needed. "So go have a nice glass of water and I will get Hyejoo. We will get through this _together_ ,” the idol assured her friend, hugging her again. 

Sooyoung sniffed, unshed tears pooling in her eyes as she nodded. She looked so miserable that Jiwoo just wanted to hold her forever.

“Together?” The word slipped out as a mere whisper, hopeful and longing.

“Together,” Jiwoo ever-so-softly smiled and placed another gentle kiss on her forehead before she ushered Sooyoung in the kitchen’s direction. 

In the meantime, Jiwoo got up and headed to Hyejoo´s bedroom. She felt like crying herself, hearing the baby in such distress. 

"Hey, Hyejoo, why are you crying so much? Your mommy is really worried." She took the baby in her arms and caressed her adorable and soft black hair. The baby looked at her for a second and continued to cry. Jiwoo started to rock the baby, keeping her close to herself. "I know I'm not the greatest friend to your mommy right now, ‘cause I’ve been so busy with work lately, but I hope you and your mommy know that I'm thinking of you two all the time. ‘Cause I can't stop thinking about your mommy, to be honest..." Jiwoo smiled at the fussy baby and begun to sing, her melodic voice echoing in the room.

 _"Hey doggie, don't bark_  
_Our baby sleeps so well_  
_Hey chickie, don't cry_  
_You'll wake our baby's sweet sleep_  
_Hush hush our baby_  
_Our baby sleeps so well…"_

It was an old lullaby her mother used to sing to her and to her brothers when they were little and it always calmed them down. It wouldn't hurt to try, right? She kept rocking the baby, her hand firm on her tiny back, supporting her head carefully.

 _"A baby more beautiful than the moon_  
_A baby more beautiful than the stars_  
_Hush hush our baby_  
_Our baby sleeps so well…"_

She kept singing a few more verses, walking around the room, ever-so-gently rocking Hyejoo. Jiwoo smiled to herself but never stopped singing when she saw the baby begun to calm in her arms until she wasn’t crying anymore. She couldn't believe that worked! Jiwoo kept doing what she was doing, just in case it wasn't a fluke and after a few minutes, when she was sure the child was sleeping soundly, the red haired girl put her in her crib, very gently, to keep her from waking up.

She left the room quietly and found a very surprised Sooyoung holding the baby monitor. She had seen everything that happened in the baby's room and she seemed so shocked. 

"You did it… you did it…" the dancer went up to her and hugged Jiwoo tightly, feeling her friend melting against her. “Oh my God, how can I thank you?"

Jiwoo hugged her back, and the two women kept each other close for a long time in silence, just feeling each other. It felt so nice to be like this, so close. They had talked last year about their feelings and had agreed it would be better for them to just stay friends and not complicate their lives any more. With Jiwoo´s career taking off and Sooyoung´s company getting bigger and bigger, not to mention the fact they lived in a very traditional society, it wouldn't do them any good to defy everything to be together. So they had decided to just stay friends. It felt weird in the beginning, since they were very attracted to each other. But it had passed… 

Or that was what they liked to think.

It was hard, but they would manage. And they were still the same best friends they were before. Their friendship started at the very moment they met, and that was the way they would be... forever. Never mind the fact that they kept walking on thin ice. No matter how hard they tried to suffocate their feelings, they were always gravitating around each other. It was a well-rehearsed dance by now: they would slip, show their true feelings, but then they would continue on as if nothing had happened. As if the lines between platonic friendship and romantic relationship hadn’t been blurred a long time before…

Carefully, Jiwoo gently kissed her friend´s neck in a very bold move. She felt Sooyoung shiver under her lips and smiled against the soft warm skin. She was happy after helping her friend.

“I would do anything for you, Sooyoungie. I hope you know that…" Jiwoo revealed softly, her voice dropping unexpectedly low, almost a whisper against Sooyoung's shoulder. It was the purest truth. Because she would do anything for her _friend_. Not because she was eternally in love with her, but because Sooyoung was her _friend_ and she needed her help. 

And no matter what, Jiwoo would be there for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> PS. The song Jiwoo sings in this chapter is a korean lullaby i found on Google. credits to the author.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Alex, my great beta and hope you all like this chapter.

Sooyoung enjoyed a quiet morning at home. She just ate some quick breakfast and nursed a cup of coffee while catching up with the news channel. The baby monitor on the coffee table showed Hyejoo peacefully resting in her crib. After what happened a few days earlier, Sooyoung kept a closer eye on her daughter. Hyejoo had four more crying fits after the first one, but now, Sooyoung was mentally ready to deal with it.

Thanks to Jiwoo...

It was a nice morning and Sooyoung was trying to start to go back to her schedule before having Hyejoo. One of the first things Dr. Jeon said to her was “sleep when your baby is sleeping”, but after two whole months of being a parent, she was tired of course, but didn't feel the need to sleep all the time. Taking care of a newborn took a lot from her. It was like a whole new world had opened to her and she felt grateful for this challenge. Sooyoung wouldn't trade this life for anything. Hyejoo was her precious baby and she would do it all over again. Even when the tiny girl decided it was time to cry her lungs out for no reason and at ungodly hours too.

And she had a lot to do. Even with her friends, and occasionally her sister, helping, Sooyoung was always a very active woman, so she needed to do more when Hyejoo was out. She went back to her idea of writing in her blog. Fashion was something that she was really interested since high school, hence the part time modeling she did since the age of 15, and it would be a good distraction for her, to kill some time.

But now, 9 weeks after her girl was born, Sooyoung felt like she could start going back to do her job, be more active on her social media (especially since she was a proud mother to a very adorable and photogenic baby). And maybe, even help at the company again, at least, a little. That´s why she called Haseul and Jinsoul for a meeting at her place, so they could talk about their upcoming projects and of course, to keep Sooyoung updated on what was happening with their business. She and Haseul had been talking about bringing Jinsoul into their partnership before Sooyoung had gone on her maternity leave, the blonde girl already had proven herself a lot of times that she cared about the company and would be a great asset to them.

Becoming a mother had changed how Sooyoung saw the world... and specially her future. She wanted to make her company successful, because that would be her legacy to her daughter, and more important, it would provide for them when the time to retire from the stage would come…. She tried to keep her body moving so she wouldn't lose her edge. When Hyejoo was out, Sooyoung took the opportunity to do a lot of stretching exercises, create new dance moves, and record some dance covers. Being physically active helped her to sleep and kept her from being bored. 

And Sooyoung just loved to dance. It was something that she did her whole life, dancing put a roof over her head and food on her table and she was able to travel to a lot of interesting places because of her job. Modeling was fun, but it was just something she did to earn some money so she could move out from her parents’ house and go to Seoul, so she could have a better chance to make it as a dancer. 

Modeling gave her a lot of contacts and put Vivi on her life. But dancing made her truly happy. And she missed the stage. The last time she performed was two weeks before Hyejoo was born. Who would have thought one day she would be dancing with her company and just a few days later, she would be making the most important decision of her life?

The doorbell rang, taking Sooyoung out of the memory lane. Her friends had arrived. She gave a last glance over the baby monitor and smiled, seeing her daughter still sleeping. 

She loved dancing, for sure. But she loved Hyejoo even more…

*******

"Why don't you trust me on this, I know what I am doing..." Jinsoul entered the apartment talking to Haseul, barely paying attention to her host. "Hi, Sooyoung," she said, pausing only to plant a kiss on her cheek before turning to her short haired friend. "It's not that hard, Haseul, you know everything will be fine."

"I can't have my best dancer and best teacher drooling all over our new partners, it's not professional and it can be dangerous. You could fall on your face and break something!" Haseul argued back, her voice a little too high.

"I told you, you need to trust me!"

"Hey, hey, HEY! Can you two harpies keep it down?" Sooyoung asked, waving the baby monitor in front of their friends. Jinsoul and Haseul never fought. They had a very interesting relationship. The three of them had met in college, where Jinsoul was a math major who had a strong passion for dancing. Like Sooyoung, she was in college to please her family who wanted her to have a safe career if dancing didn't work out. The blonde girl always had a talent for numbers, and she excelled in math during high school, so it was a natural course for her. And Haseul used her abilities a lot when they started their company.

“Sorry, Sooyoung…” they both murmured at the same time, feeling a little guilty. 

“Why are you two fighting about? What's going on?” The tallest girl asked, leading her friends to her kitchen so they could talk over coffee and without a chance to disturb Hyejoo´s sleep. Jinsoul sat down at the kitchen table and Haseul stood next to the fridge, they both looked a little ashamed for not caring about the baby.

“Haseul thinks I can't work with Jungeun,” Jinsoul started to explain, taking the cup of coffee offered by Sooyoung. “And I think she's mad, because I'm a professional and I surely can work by my girlfriend´s side, you know?”

“Last time Jungeun was at the studio with her trainees, you tripped on your own feet and almost twisted your ankle,” Haseul explained, exasperated. She needed Jinsoul to understand she was worried about her well-being. “Soulie, I love you, you know that, but you just can't focus when Jungeun is around,” the short haired girl reasoned.

“That's not the reason at all! I was distracted that day ‘cause… ‘Cause…” Jinsoul started, her face got flushed all the sudden but she smiled to herself, feeling a little silly. "Things finally happened between us the night before and I was feeling giddy... That's why I was acting like an idiot that day…" Jinsoul said, her eyes focused on the cup in her hands, remembering the first night her girlfriend spent over her place and just how insanely happy she was the next day.

Sooyoung and Haseul exchanged looks, this was a great opportunity to tease their friend, but they also knew how much in love Jinsoul was with Jungeun. So they just smiled, they were both glad Jinsoul had met someone. 

“That’s why I´m telling you, I can work with Jungeun just fine.”

“Ok, so this is about the project with her agency?” Sooyoung asked, getting a nod from her friends. She glanced at the monitor in her hand and noticed Hyejoo was awake. “Haseul, I think Jinsoul is more than fine to take care of this, especially now that we will get everything ready to welcome their trainees.” 

Haseul looked at Sooyoung, not entirely convinced. It´s not like she didn't trust Jinsoul, but this was a big deal for them and they couldn't make any mistake.

“Jinsoul, Hyejoo is up, can you get her for me?” she said, smiling. When the blonde girl left, she turned to Haseul and whispered. “Is this about bringing her into our partnership? That’s why you're testing her?”

“No, that's not it… I´m just worried, this is our biggest project so far and we can't afford to make any mistake…” Haseul crossed her arms over her chest, sighing. “Jinsoul is amazing and she will be a great asset for us, she has that crazy brilliant brain, a great stage presence, mad skills and she can teach like no other instructor we have. She's one of my best friends and I adore her, but we need to separate things...”

Sooyoung went to her friend and put her hand on Haseul´s shoulders.

“I know things are really complicated now, you´re going through a lot of stuff and I'm really sorry for leaving you alone to deal with everything, but this is the time we need to bring everyone we trust closer to us. This is the project we´ve been waiting for since we started the company and I truly believe Jinsoul will be able to face anything we throw at her. We can wait until the project is up and running, then we’ll talk to her. OK?”

Haseul nodded and sighed again, feeling a little relieved. 

“It´s not that I don't want her with us, I just worry…”

“I know, and I don't blame you. Everything will be fine, I promise you.”

Jinsoul choose that exact moment go back to the kitchen, with a sleepy Hyejoo in her arms 

“So, this adorable little lady was looking at me and she smiled. Like a huge smile! I think my heart just exploded,” she said to no one in particular. Looking at her friends, she sensed something was off. “So, what did I miss? What's going on?”

“Oh, nothing, I was just telling Haseul you will be very good leading the project with Jungeun and our little bird here decided to agree with me. So congrats.”

Jinsoul squealed like a little girl, and kissed Hyejoo´s black hair. 

“Oh my God, really? Thanks guys, I'll make sure you won't regret this!" She did a little spin on the spot. "I need to call Jungeun!” the blonde dancer said, giving the baby to her mother before leaving the kitchen so she could talk to her girlfriend privately. 

********  
After ordering and eating lunch, Sooyoung fed Hyejoo while watching Haseul and Jinsoul discuss the final details of their upcoming project. She wanted to do more, but she was still two months away from coming back fully to work and there was not a lot that she could contribute. A part of her wanted to lead the project and take care of Jungeun's trainees herself, but Sooyoung knew Jinsoul was completely able to do it in her place. If they succeeded, and she knew they would, Sooyoung would deal with the next and their company would thrive, even more than they were now. 

Haseul's business skills were making them sign a lot of good contracts: they provided back up dancers for a lot of good artists all over Korea and their touring dance crew, led by Sooyoung, was getting a lot of national and international gigs. When Jinsoul joined them, almost one year after they started their business, they could set the dance academy Sooyoung always wanted, so they could train future idols and of course, teach dance to whoever wanted to learn.

It was hard work, but they loved it. And Sooyoung had just a couple of months to learn how to be a functional working mom. Because their company was growing and she wanted to be there in every step of the way.

"She's growing up so fast, isn't she?" Jinsoul quietly asked, looking at the mother feeding her baby girl. "I was here the other day and she was so tiny...now she's all smiles, ridiculously adorable."

Haseul ever-so-gently touched the baby's head, feeling her soft hair with her fingertips. She couldn't agree more, she remembered when she was first introduced to the baby, Hyejoo was this wrinkled thing that slept a lot and now, she was all active and looking at her aunties with her big, curious black eyes.

"Yeah, she's growing a lot and she's driving me crazy…" Sooyoung said, trying to keep the mood light. "It feels like thousands of years ago since I got her and yet. Time goes by so fast…"

The three girls were quiet for a while, the only noise they could hear was Hyejoo drinking from her bottle. They were all so enamored by the baby, everything she did was truly amazing. 

Sooyoung smiled at her daughter, how amazing her life was now that she was a mother. It was like she was a puzzle with missing pieces, but she didn't exactly knew that. She felt totally complete with her job, her friends and family, but now, that she had Hyejoo, this adorable child who couldn't even sit by herself and yet, owned her entire life.

"She had a crying fit the other day," Sooyoung started. She needed to tell her closest friends about what happened, because she shared with them everything in her life. "I was desperate, she was screaming bloody murder and nothing I did helped. Like nothing at all… she was crying, I was crying, there were tears all over the place…" Sooyoung smiled sadly, now it was funny how helpless she felt that day.

“Sooyoung…” Haseul and Jinsoul spoke at the same time, looking at her in shock. They could only imagine how hard it was taking care of a baby alone. They tried to help as much as they could, but there's so much they could do... 

“I mean, I knew being a mother wouldn't be easy, but that day, I felt in my bones how truly alone I was doing this…” Sooyoung put the bottle on the coffee table and cleaned the baby's face. “Since that had never happened before, I called her pediatrician and she said it was normal for a child her age…”

“Honey, when anything like that happens, you know you can call any of us, right? We all are here for you, for both of you,” Haseul told her while taking Hyejoo in her arms so she could be the one to make the baby burp.

Sooyoung was staring at Haseul, who was holding the baby so dearly close to her body. And Jinsoul stared at them both and the baby. The blonde dancer still thought it was so crazy that one of them had one of those, because she herself still felt like a baby. Of course she could babysit and she was a great baby sitter, but she couldn't put herself on Sooyoung's shoes.

The tallest girl took a deep slow breath… Sooyoung knew what they would say when she told them about that night. She knew her friends and she knew their thoughts about that particular matter. Looking in their direction again, Sooyoung couldn’t really find the words. So she decided to just rip off the band-aid, once for all.

"I… I called Jiwoo…" she said, her voice not louder than a whisper. Sooyoung looked down to her hands, holding tightly the baby's bottle. "I was so nervous, I didn't even think…”

Jinsoul and Haseul looked at each other and waited for Sooyoung to finish telling the story.

“She came right away. I called her and she dropped everything to be here with me," the dancer snorted, remembering every single detail about that night like it was happening before her eyes. "She has been so busy lately, but she cut her free time short so she could comfort me during my crisis…” Sooyoung reached out and placed her hand on the baby's back, remembering the events of that day. “Hyejoo was all red and teary and Jiwoo came, took her in her arms and like magic, she stopped crying… I swear to God, it was like she was this mystical baby whisperer. She sang to her and Hyejoo just stopped. So I just…”

"Oh my God, you kissed her!” Jinsoul exclaimed, flabbergasted.

“What? No! We just hugged, I was just so happy she made Hyejoo stop crying, I hugged her,” Sooyoung hastily explained, flushed.

“And let me guess, it was a great hug,” Haseul spoke, her voice laced with worry, but also a little mirth. Sooyoung´s face was still really red and she nodded.

The blonde dancer sighed and put her face in her hands. Haseul closed her eyes. 

“I´m not sure if your mommy is stupid or stubborn, Hyejoo…” Haseul told the baby, getting up to walk around the room with her.

“Why are you doing this to yourself, Sooyoung? We know you love her, you know you love her, she knows you love her, and even Hyejoo knows you love her, so why are you torturing yourself?” Jinsoul asked, tired... She had seen her friend suffering for a long time over her feelings for the idol and she didn't understand at all why they weren't together. Sooyoung and Jiwoo were worse than her and Jungeun. They had known each other for a long time, but at least she was finally dating Jungeun. Just like their friends, who kept dancing around each other, making crazy heart eyes, being all soft. They were so in love with each other, it hurt to see them not together...

“It´s… It´s not that easy, we talked a lot about this and we decided together to let this go. I can't put her career in jeopardy, I need to think about a lot of things. And now that I have Hyejoo, I need to think about her. Hyejoo comes first.”

Haseul understood her point. Of course Sooyoung would put her baby over everything else in her life. She couldn't blame her for that. But at the same time, Haseul knew her friend was acting like a stubborn idiot. 

“Meaning, you two are scared of what could happen,” Jinsoul threw in her two cents.

“That's not it…We… We made our decision and that's it… I'm fine with it and she's fine with it. We´re just friends, and we will stay friends... I need to focus on Hyejoo and going back to work…”

“So, why did you call her?” Haseul made the most crucial question, the same one Sooyoung herself were scared of thinking about. “You could have called any of us, we would have all come running and you know our schedule is way more flexible than hers.”

“I… I didn’t even think. It was like my body was on autopilot. I…I needed her and by the time I realized what I did, she was already here…” Sooyoung admitted while she went up to Haseul and took the baby from her. Hyejoo wiggled her arms in front of her mother, a big smile on her face. Sooyoung smiled back, taking one of her tiny hands and kissing her knuckles. “Knowing she was here made everything better. Hyejoo slept in no time, my heart was so calm…” She looked at Haseul and Jinsoul and gave them a defeated smile. “I just needed her...”

Sooyoung’s eyes focused on the gorgeous bundle of happiness in her arms even though she spoke to her friends. 

“I know you think we're crazy or scared or stupid for not acting on our feelings, but she's my best friends, girls. I can't afford to lose her friendship…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update this, going through some personal stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> I adore LOONA, those girls are just too amazing! So I took some time to write some stuff down, hope you guys like it :) Thanks to my beta reader, Alex, who love them as much as I do, and thanks to BBC for giving us this incredible group.


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